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- More than 30 , 000 drivers urge Government to cut fuel duty ahead of Budget - ATV Today
Campaign group FairFuelUK says more than 30,000 motorists, families, small businesses, tradespeople, farmers and hauliers have emailed the Prime Minister and Chancellor within 24 hours, ahead of the Budget on 28 October. The group is calling for an immediate cut and permanent freeze to Fuel Duty, plus a PumpWatch regulator with legal powers to investigate pump prices, and asks ministers to consider measures used in more than 40 countries. It also wants to meet founder Howard Cox to discuss his 20-year transport strategy, developed with input from more than 80,000 drivers. Cox argues cheaper fuel would lower business costs and inflation, while respondents, including a rural pensioner and a self-employed driving instructor, describe high fuel costs and limited public transport as a serious burden.
- Andy Burnham issued major demand by 30 , 000 drivers as pensioners left isolated
FairFuelUK says more than 30,000 people emailed Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey within 24 hours, urging urgent action on fuel costs before the Budget on October 28 as petrol and diesel prices rise amid conflict in the Middle East. Many respondents, including a pensioner in rural Wales and a self-employed driving instructor, say they rely entirely on cars for hospital visits, shopping and work because bus services are unreliable or absent. Demands include cutting Fuel Duty, a permanent freeze, a PumpWatch regulator with legal powers over excessive pricing, and recognising affordable mobility as a driver of growth. Founder Howard Cox argues that cheaper fuel would lower costs and inflation, and supporters ask to meet him to discuss a 20-Year Transport Strategy developed with input from more than 80,000 drivers and stakeholders.
- UK : Unite announces 24 - hour strike action by offshore Apache workers set to hit united kingdom fuel supplies
- 5 , 000 gather in Brussels as EU regions demand a stronger voice amid growing calls for budget cuts
Nearly 5,000 policymakers, regional leaders and local authority representatives gathered in Brussels for the 24th European Week of Regions and Cities on October 12–14, amid disputes over the future of EU cohesion funding and the 2028–2034 budget. Regional leaders warned that a proposal to give national governments more control over investment after 2027 could weaken municipalities and widen territorial inequalities. The three Baltic states have been allocated about €14.2bn in cohesion funding for 2021–2027, with Lithuania receiving roughly €6.4bn, Latvia €4.4bn and Estonia €3.4bn. A report by the European Committee of the Regions found that 149mn Europeans, one-third of the population, have lived in regions losing population over the past two decades, while wildfires have risen 57% over four years.
- Deputies to lay fuel duty amendments for Budget debate
Amid near-record oil prices linked to the US war with Iran, Deputy Rob Curgenven will propose keeping current duty on all motor fuels instead of raising it with inflation, citing cost-of-living pressures and GST. Deputy Neil Inder is focusing on 'white diesel', mainly used by commercial vehicles, with a freeze or a 5p-per-litre cut. Curgenven acknowledges his amendment would mean nearly £1m less tax next year than P&R's proposals but says no offset is needed. Petrol and road diesel duty is currently 90.5p per litre, while the Budget proposal would add 3.9p.
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- Bank Profits Surge
The 9-month 2026 results show many banks continued to grow profits, with some posting record quarterly earnings. VPBank's pre-tax profit reached nearly VND 30,000 billion, up nearly 47%, equal to its full-year 2025 result and about 72.4% of its 2026 plan; Q3 pre-tax profit topped VND 11,000 billion. Techcombank posted VND 28,900 billion (up 23.7%), while LPBank reported VND 10,421 billion (up nearly 9%). SSI forecasts pre-tax profit of its monitored banks to rise 19.5% in 2026 before slowing to 15.4% in 2027, pressured by narrowing net interest margins and rising credit risk provisions. It also expects system-wide credit growth of 16-17% in 2027 and 17.9% for the monitored banks.
- World's Largest Gold Fund Dumps Over 10 Tonnes of Gold as Prices Slide
SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold fund, continued net selling of nearly 12 tonnes of gold in the 22/10 session, bringing total sales over 2 sessions to nearly 15 tonnes and cutting its holdings to about 1,046 tonnes. Spot gold fell more than 2.8% to around USD 4,025 per ounce at the close of 22/10, and briefly dipped below USD 4,000 per ounce in the morning session of 23/10. Tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher, raising concerns about inflation and further Fed tightening, and gold has still not attracted sustained safe-haven demand even as US Treasury yields fell. US September CPI rose 0.6% month on month and 3.7% year on year, while PPI rose 1.3% and 6.3%. Markets price about an 84% chance the Fed holds rates steady at its 27-28/10 meeting and a 16% chance of a 25 basis-point increase; September PCE data due on 29/10 is the next key factor to watch.
- Gold Prices Continue to Fall
On the morning of 23/10, domestic gold prices kept falling, with SJC bar prices varying by seller and the premium over world gold widening. Công ty TNHH Vàng bạc đá quý Sài Gòn listed SJC bars at VND 139-142 million per tael (buy-sell), down VND 300,000; Phú Quý was at VND 138-141.8 million, down VND 500,000; and Mi Hồng at VND 140-141.5 million, down VND 800,000. Gold rings also fell by varying amounts, with DOJI at VND 138-142 million and Phú Quý at VND 138-141 million per tael. World gold dropped USD 129 to around USD 3,992 per ounce, equal to about VND 125.3 million per tael, leaving SJC bars about VND 16.7 million per tael above the world price. The State Bank's central rate was set at 25,627 VND/USD, down 5 dong, while Vietcombank quoted 25,660-26,040 VND/USD (buy-sell).
- Company Linked to Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong Announces Major Good News
VEFAC (ticker VEF), a Vingroup subsidiary, posted Q3 net revenue of nearly VND 77 billion, up 67% year on year, but a gross loss of about VND 27 billion as cost of sales from its exhibition business exceeded revenue. Q3 profit rose mainly thanks to a gross gain of about VND 65 billion from transferring some schools in a project to a partner, while financial income reached over VND 388 billion, mostly from loan and investment income. For the first nine months of 2026, after-tax profit was nearly VND 865 billion, down about 94% from VND 15,418 billion in the same period of 2025, as the prior year included large gains from transferring part of the Vinhomes Global Gate project. As of 30/9/2026, total assets stood at over VND 31,905 billion, up 36% from the start of the year, while total liabilities exceeded VND 24,364 billion, with short-term customer advances rising from VND 411 billion to over VND 8,373 billion.
- Lotte and Phat Dat Officially Break Ground on VND 60,000 Billion Mega Project in Thu Thiem 'Golden Land'
A joint venture between Lotte Group (South Korea) and Phát Đạt (HoSE: PDR) officially broke ground on 23/10 on Lotte Eco Smart City Thu Thiem in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, HCMC, with total investment of about VND 60,000 billion. The project covers nearly 7.5 ha and will combine Grade A offices, retail, services, accommodation and housing, adjoining the central plaza and central lake of Thu Thiem. Phát Đạt holds 35% of Lotte Properties HCMC, the project developer, and will develop the housing blocks along with two towers (2-1 and 2-3) with about 219,722 m2 of floor area, while Lotte handles block 2-5. Lotte Properties HCMC paid VND 17,569 billion in land-use fees on 31/7/2026, and Phát Đạt completed its VND 7,666 billion payment to take its 35% stake. MB is funding all of Phát Đạt's capital contribution, while VietinBank and BIDV also support the project.
- International Business : Global stocks nosedive as Meta dents AI optimism
Global stocks retreated as tech earnings failed to ease concerns about the AI outlook, with MSCI's All-World index set for its largest daily fall in two weeks, down 0.4 per cent. Meta beat third-quarter revenue expectations, but its plan to issue non-voting stock revived worries about its mounting capital commitments, and a New Mexico judge ordered it to pay a $25 billion penalty in a data privacy case. Brent crude rose nearly 3% to $112 a barrel, near a five-month high, after more Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia raised supply risks. Investors moved into government bonds, pushing the US 10-year yield down to 5.05%, below France's for the first time in 13 years, while French yields have climbed above 5% amid concerns over social unrest and debt. The France-Germany 10-year spread reached 177.7 basis points, its widest since 2011, while gold fell 1.8% to $4,070 an ounce.
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